Bauer, Willis Group Recognize Six Outstanding Student Leaders

Published on April 16, 2012

With Support from Willis Group, UH Bauer Recognizes Six Recipients of Ted Bauer Leadership Award

Willis Group chairman Mike Willis, center, and the UH Bauer Leadership Team congratulate the recipients of the 2012 Ted Bauer Leadership Award during the 2012 Leadership Awards Luncheon.

Dozens of student leaders from the University of Houston C. T. Bauer College of Business were applauded for their success during the 12th Annual Leadership Awards Luncheon on April 13, as support from The Willis Group allowed the college to recognize a record number of recipients.

In previous years, the college has selected one outstanding student to receive its highest honor, the Ted Bauer Leadership Award, named for Charles T. “Ted” Bauer. This year, with $30,000 funding from Willis Group, the college celebrated six students with the award, including four undergraduates and two graduate students. Each award included a $2,000 scholarship for the recipient, along with $1,000 for his or her student organization and $2,000 for a recruiting scholarship in the name of the student.

Ted Bauer Leadership Award Recipients

Asad Ahmed, supply chain major: The president of the college’s chapter of APICS (The Association for Operations Management) was recognized for his commitment to helping his peers to reach their full potential. One nominator wrote, “I recently asked Asad why he was attending a job fair, since I had heard he had secured a job opportunity after graduation. With a smile, he humbly replied that he did indeed have a job lined up, but he wanted to attend the fair to assist and support his organization’s members. I cannot recall another student leader with this philosophy and commitment. He not only leads but he cares about his members, the other officers and the organization.”

Allyn Gayle Oncog, finance and management major: Oncog, who is president of the college’s Finance Association student organization, has taken advantage of the many leadership development opportunities involved at UH Bauer, including the Bauer Leadership Council and the LeaderShape Institute. She has given back to the college by creating a mentorship program within FA and returning to LeaderShape this spring as an onsite coordinator.

Blythe Perez, pre-business major: Perez recently earned the highest spot by a Bauer student in the 2012 CME Group Commodity Training Challenge and is making the most of her time in the college and the university. As a UH cheerleader, Perez works to inspire her fellow Cougars on and off the field, pushing herself to become a leader within the Finance Association as an officer and within the Bauer Leadership Council as a member.

Marie Zehnder, finance major: This transfer student describes her place within UH Bauer as a perfect fit. “I was looking for a school that lined up with my goals and had the resources to help me reach those goals. I wanted to find a school where I could use my talents and skills to impact the community in a positive way,” she says. Zehnder now serves as senior corporate relations officer for the college’s chapter of Accounting Society and says she looked forward to continued growth as a student leader.

Sarah Jachimiec, MBA candidate: As president of the Bauer chapter of the National Association of Women MBAs, Jachimiec has taken the organization to new heights with their mentorship program and their Shideezhi Project with the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. In addition, UH Bauer NAWMBA has received recognition from the national chapter of the organization and has been asked to speak as “Best in Breed” among NAWMBA Chapters.

Si Tran, MBA candidate: Tran serves as the executive vice president for the MBA Society, where he has coordinated with the development team in the Office of the Dean to create a plan for mutually meeting fundraising goals. “It is rare for a student to ‘get it’ like that. In fact, I’ve never seen a student who so immediately understood our business in development and offered to help. I wish Bauer had 15 students just like Si,” his nominator wrote.

Additional Honorees

The college also honored several student groups and individuals with achievement awards, including:

Shell Ethics Case Competition

In addition, the event recognized the winning teams for an ethics case competition presented by Shell earlier in the week. Forty student teams competed, with four winning undergraduate teams and one winning MBA team announced, taking home cash prizes from Shell.

Click here to see more images from the 2012 Leadership Awards Luncheon.

Halliburton sponsored the luncheon, along with a leadership seminar earlier in the day, with the company’s Global Director of Diversity and Inclusion Cindy Bigner providing the luncheon keynote. Students receiving the Ted Bauer Leadership Certificate from the college were also recognized.